Japanese American indie singer-songwriter Mitski closed out her tour for her seventh studio album “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” on September 28 at the Hollywood Bowl.
Audiences came close to never seeing Mitski perform in person again. In 2019, Mitski announced in a Central Park performance that she would not be performing live anymore, and nearly quit music altogether which caused an uproar on social media.
“It’s time to be a human again,” she wrote on Twitter/X before deleting all social media accounts. After touring for five years with no breaks, Mitski took a hiatus from music and performing, saying that her “self-worth/identity will start depending too much on staying in the game.”
However, after facing a pandemic and taking the time to recuperate, Mitski returned to the music scene in 2022 with her record Laurel Hell.
“What it came down to was, ‘I have to do this even though it hurts me, because I love it,’” she said to Rolling Stone. “This is who I am. I’m going to keep getting hurt, and I’m still going to do it, because this is the only thing I can do.”
The closing show served as a healing space for both the audience and artist alike. Mitski self evaluates that “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” is her “most American album” thus far. Coming from a background of being a prominent figure in the Asian American community, especially as an artist, her latest album is a form of closure to her previous identity and the start of a new chapter in her personal life and career.
Mitski now categorizes herself as mostly American, although she doesn’t “think it’s allowed.” She explained to Vulture that she doesn’t necessarily think of herself as Asian American, despite using the term “for the benefit of other people to explain who I am.”
She once elaborated how she felt “uncomfortable with ‘Japanese American,’ although it’s technically accurate,” because in light of the community’s history of incarceration. Her constant struggle to land with just one identity was reflected throughout her performance by never settling down in one area of the stage, always moving.
Despite the album being released over a year ago, the energy of the crowd was high and felt almost like it came out yesterday. The audience was vibrant and diverse, with people of all ages and backgrounds filling the stadium with no seats to spare for the sold out show.
Singer and actress Sharon Van Etten opened the performance with seven songs, beginning with “Jupiter 4″ and ending with “Seventeen.” The stage highlighted the singer with draped black tulle and vibrant hues of lilac through light.
As Mitski took the stage after Van Etten, the lights shifted from these moodier colors to bright red as the energy of the crowd intensified across the venue. Concert attendee Max Mineer mentioned that he “loved the dramatic entrance in which Mitski first starts as a shadowy silhouette, walking around center stage under the spotlight exciting us in anticipation. The use of props, backdrops, lighting throughout the show was visually stunning alongside the impact of the music and story unfolding in front of us.”
Mitski’s performance reflected the anguish of a second generation immigrant caught in between two worlds. Her dance could best be described as elegantly chaotic. As she rolled around on the floor and panted on all fours like a dog, she gave the performance an almost childlike image of intimacy.
“[I] loved this concert and how she utilized expressive dance to further the emotions her songs evoke. Her dance paired with the amazing lighting and set design made a once in a lifetime concert,” said concert attendee Ashley Likins.
Her bodily performance captured the inner conflict between her Asian and American identities, eventually landing on “American.” Red tones further accentuated the image of agony and inner turmoil Mitski felt throughout her artistic and personal journeys.
Josheline Nguyen, an undergraduate student at USC who also attended the concert, described the performance as “ethereal” and “more of like an art piece than a typical concert.”
Tones of folklore and country come through more in this album compared to her previous work, which leaned more towards indie and pop. Her second song of the night, “Buffalo Replaced,” captured the essence of country life with mentions of mosquitos, fireflies, and freight trains to paint the image of a perfect midwestern night.
Her lyrics were raw and emotional, tying into her dance performance to give the audience a personal performance overall. Themes of love and gratitude filled the air as the singer put on emotional performances of “Heaven,” “Star,” and “My Love Mine All Mine” from her newest album. Mitski stood still in her tracks, watching in awe as audiences belted out the lyrics “nothing in the world is mine for free but my love mine, all mine, all mine,” without her performance as a guide for the words.
The atmosphere was quiet, surreal, and inviting. It felt like a familiar gathering. Mitski repeatedly reminded the audience of “how much she loves them,” and how “grateful she is to be here tonight.” She closed her setlist with classics “Nobody” and “Washing Machine Heart” as her encore choices, leaving the crowd on their feet with an electric energy in the air. The audience continued to cheer and applaud loudly for minutes, even after Mitski had left the stage. She left them with the parting words, “Thank you so much for being here with me and sharing this moment with me. Thank you so much.”